Gogglebox's Mary devastated after 'vandals break into childhood home to start fire'

Gogglebox cast member Mary Killen has spoken about the “dismal ending” of her childhood home, with her suggesting that it was targeted by “vandals” and later bulldozed.

The columnist – who has appeared on the Channel 4 show with her husband Giles Wood since 2015 – reflected on her life for their book Country Life. It was originally published last year but is now about to be re-released in paperback.

One story in the book – in which the couple “share their hard-earned lessons” about life in the countryside – that has attracted attention recently relates to Mary’s upbringing in Northern Ireland. She’s said to have grown up in Larne before moving on her own to London when she was 18.

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Mary Killen (right) and her husband Giles Wood (left) in a scene from Channel 4’s Gogglebox

According to OK! magazine, Mary’s childhood home was located next to a church and was where her father, who was a GP, worked. It reports that she wrote that it was targeted by “vandals” and ended up being bulldozed some years ago.

Mary commented in the book: “Vandals broke in and tried to set fire to it on more than one occasion. They broke a stained-glass window on the landing just out of malice, not because they needed to come through that window.”

The author added: “The church said they had no option but to bulldoze the lovely property.” Mary further stated in one of the book’s chapters: “It was a dismal ending for a house that had been of such service to both medical and social life – the centre of so many parties given by my parents.”

Mary is said to have relocated from Northern Ireland to England when she was 18. She’s understood to have lived in London for a while before moving to the countryside, with her now residing in a cottage in Wiltshire with Giles.

She teased in a previously revealed excerpt from the book that she’s missed out on numerous events in London whilst living in the countryside. Mary said that she “can’t drive” and suggested her village doesn’t have a bus service.

An excerpt, shared last year, read: “I’m certain that a London dwelling would be the best choice for the final decade of life. It’s too much of a nuisance to visit someone who lives in the country, no matter how much you love them.”

The paperback edition of Country Life: A Story of Peaks and Troughs is set to be released on March 14 and the hardcover version is out now. Gogglebox airs on Friday nights on Channel 4 at 9pm and is available on demand.